The present invention relates generally to support devices for clutches and other automotive components, and more specifically to a support apparatus having a splined sleeve assembly adapted to support and align the components of an automotive clutch during repair and placement.
A lifting device for vehicle parts is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,875, to Craychee, and includes a boom that is supported on a wheeled base for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis between raised and lowered positions, a receiver mounted on a distal end of the boom for receiving a clutch attachment or the like, and a hydraulic jack supported on the device between the base and the boom for permitting movement of the boom between the raised and lowered positions. The clutch attachment includes a splined shaft that is rotatingly coupled to a yoke by providing a slip fit between a receiving bore of the yoke and the mating portion of the shaft. This rotational feature of the clutch attachment allows the splined shaft to cooperatively engage the splined portion of a vehicle clutch while the clutch is attached to the vehicle. The shaft is removable from the yoke to permit many different clutch designs to be accommodated by the device by affixing the appropriately designed shaft to the yoke.
A technical problem experienced in the use of the conventional construction resides in the expense of manufacturing a splined shaft out of metal, and of mounting the shaft on the support device in such a way as to permit rotation of the shaft during use. Another technical problem encountered in the use of the conventional construction resides in the necessity of manufacturing a separate splined shaft for each type of clutch or component to be supported on the device, further increasing the cost of making and owning such a device.